Luxury designer brand Scanlan & Theodore is reeling from another strike by the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) with a protest staged outside its Melbourne flagship store yesterday.
Earlier this year, the TCFUA revealed it was investigating the brand over ethical issues with its supply chain. While Scanlan & Theodore strongly denied any wrongdoing at the time, the union mounted a separate attack on the brand yesterday following concerns over the recent liquidation of a key supplier.
Knitwear manufacturer Blossom Road entered liquidation in May this year, with workers losing close to half a million dollars in employee entitlements. The company has since resurfaced under a new business name and continues to supply the luxury brand, a major client at the time of Blossom Road's collapse.
Sacked workers are demanding full entitlements and voluntary superannuation payments of up to $50 per week; payments they claim were deducted from their earnings by Blossom Road.
TCFUA executive Michele O'Neil said the action against Scanlan & Theodore was justified.
"The high end fashion brand Scanlan & Theodore must come forward and demonstrate they will not tolerate the low end ethics of their supplier," O'Neil said.
Scanlan & Theodore declined to comment at the time of press.